Crealde Urban Sketching Class

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This is a quick sketch done of my students working on the patio behind the Crealde Urban Sketching classroom. This was a demo to show how to do a thumbnail sketch to plan out the composition of a scene.

I do these sketches with no intention of pushing them to a finish to show the early stages of planning a scene. When I work on location on my own, I tent to just jump in and do a sketch that fills the page. The early stages of one of those large sketches would also look a bit like this, with detail pushed aside to block in the big shapes. This sketch really only has one major shape and that is the students on several benches. The general shape is a backwards letter L.

This thumbnail could be pushed further if I went back in and refined shapes using my fountain pen. Instead, I spent my time working with each student to show each how to analyze and sketch their own thumbnails, based on their chosen view.

Baldwin Park Dog Park

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For the last class with my Crealde Urban Sketching students I often take them to Baldwin Park Dog Park. At Crealde I do an in depth lesson on how to draw dogs doing lots of sketched on the chalk board.

Once My students are warmed up and have enough dog sketches under their belts, we head over to Baldwin Park which is a short drive away.

Once in the dog park I do a quick demo showing that the dogs are not the biggest focus of the sketch. Instead the focus it the large trees and the far shore of the lake. People and dogs are scattered throughout but they are tiny compared to the expanse around them. On this day there was an orange utility fence blocking dogs access to the lake.

I work on the demo I sketch I started but walk around and share each stage of the sketch and offer each student thumbnails to show how I might tackle the scene they are sketching. By this class I know what level of finish each student will bring to their work I encourage them on their journey.

Crealde Thumbnails

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My next Crealde Urban Sketching class was canceled since not enough students signed up.These thumbnails were done on the Crealde campus with an Urban Sketching students. He only had a pencil and paper to work with so I used just a pencil to block in the quick compositions. I enjoy doing these since there is no pressure to produce a refined and finished sketch. Looser is better.

Casa Feliz

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I often venture off to sketch Casa Feliz with my Crealde Urban Sketching students. Since I have sketched the same structure many times, I get to play with how I treat the subject without much concern about the final result. I don’t focus explosively on the sketch but also circulate among the students to give them tips and show them my progress.

I think it is a good idea for students to see how much time I spend on each stage of the sketch process so they can make adjustments to their time management. Finishing a sketch in the course of two hours is a challenge if you are studying every detail. The key to this sketch is the blue door. Even outdoors, I remain masked when sketching on location.

Crealde Urban Sketching classes resume on Sunday January 27, 2023.

Crealde Classroom Pandemic Sketch

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In my Crealde Urban Sketching course we tend to take one class to sketch fellow students as they work. I do quick 5 minute sketches to demonstrate how to position a figure on the page.  This particular sketch seems to be a sketch on top pf a sketch. I forget what I was demonstrating with the rough grid pattern. I was probably stressing how to avoid lining everything up on a grid and avoid horizontal and vertical lines.

Most classes are outside exploring the campus with our sketchbooks. I do this because it keeps my students safer during the pandemic. I was advised to offer an advanced urban sketching course but not enough students signed up so it was scrapped. No artist thinks of themselves as intermediate or advanced. Heck every one on my sketches is a series of mistakes.

The next series of Crealde Urban Sketching classes is starting up January 20, 2022. We meet on Sundays from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

Crealde Safety Measures

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I have held most of my Crealde Urban Sketching classes outdoors to help protect my students from possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus. We had one close call where a student who was waiting for the class to start tested positive for COVID.  I had to miss a class when a house guest brought home the virus, having caught it at a summer camp. Miraculously through isolation and diligent wearing of masks at home both Pam and I avoided exposure.

Anyway, at Crealde we explore the Crealde campus with our sketchbooks. I sketch along with the students and I have never run out of interesting angles to draw. The sketches I do here are probably the best documentary sketches I have done of what it is like to responsibly live with the virus.

On Jun 19, 2020 Crealdé School of Art Covid-19 Safety Measures were as follows:

1. We are reducing the maximum number of students in our classes to 6 – 8 students
depending on classroom size and medium.

2. We are re configuring our studio spaces and work tables to allow for 6 feet social
distance. Classroom floors will be clearly marked in a way that student traffic and
pathways utilized will not impede or intrude upon the six-foot or more social
distancing.

3. Galleries and exhibition spaces will be limited to 10 visitors at a time adhering to the
six foot social distancing guideline.

4. On a daily basis, Crealdé and Heritage Center staff are cleaning bathrooms and
disinfecting doors, handles and classroom surfaces.

5. We promote frequent and thorough hand washing by faculty, staff, students and
visitors.

6. We continue to ask that any staff, faculty, students or visitors who are coughing,
sneezing or in general not feeling well, to please stay at home, and to continue to
follow the directions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or a
health professional. Anyone demonstrating health issues will be asked to leave.

7. Students are encouraged to use their personal work/art tools and equipment when
possible. For youth classes, separate individual “baggies” will be provided for each
student’s class supplies.

8. We are instituting regular/enhanced instructor housekeeping and
maintenance/janitorial practices, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of
surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the school environment after each class
is dismissed.

9. Until further notice, we strongly encourage the wearing of masks in classrooms and
exhibition spaces for students and visitors. All of our instructors will be wearing
masks in class. We have extended  our mandatory mask wearing policy for at least through the winter session.

 

Crealde Classroom

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My Crealde Urban Sketching students were give the challenge to sketch the classroom and include as many of their fellow students as they could in the sketch. I settled in and joined them. Students who wore masks discussed why they choose to do so. One student like myself has never been infected by COVID-19 and it trying to keep it that way. The other student recently recovered from COVID-19 and has no desire to be re-infected. Since 2/3 of the students now choose to not ear masks, I keep the studio door open on the rare days we work inside.

Most of my classes these days are virtual for Elite Animation Academy. I enjoy the virtual classes because I get to work with students one on one and I am sketching along with them so they see how I work at all times. My feedback is far more immediate and interactive online. With the online courses we are learning the foundations of sketching, character design and animating. I particularly enjoy teaching animation since I get to animate a scene with the students every class.

Crealde Outdoors

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I conduct my Crealde Urban Sketching classes outdoors during the pandemic. Much of the point of the class is to get students to sketch outside or an any venue they happen to be at. I always execute a quick sketch along with the students to show them the three steps of my process. I walk around and see how they are doing three times and share what stage my sketch is at so they can see how I pace myself.

It was cloudy when we all started to sketch but the sun came out as we worked. The one woman seated on the grass and drawing on a bench ended up in the direct sunshine. I advised she take cover and she came inside the back patio cover and lay down on the shelving to finished her sketch. Despite the change of location, she did an amazing job.

One student had a very fine eye for how to use watercolor in the areas of foliage. She was the student I respected the most both for her talent, and the fact that she wore a mask for every class. I also remain masked for the entire duration of the class, it is a small sacrifice to keep my students safe.

Crealde classes start up again after October 17, 2022. I personally always love to sketch zombies and anyone who puts in the effort to dress up for Halloween.

Contour at Crealde

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At some point in each series of Crealde Urban Sketching classes we cover contour drawing. A contour drawing is done by staring at the subject and moving the line on the page slowly and deliberately as the eye moves along the edge of the subject. It is possible to do a drawing this way without ever glancing down at the page. The slower a drawing is done, the better. The hardest thing is to get students to take the leap of faith. Things tend to get wonky but there are always passages of highly well observed line work. It is easy to see if a student was glancing at the paper and judging themselves while sketching since shapes are carefully closed off.

This drawing of students was done with contour and I would glance at the page only when I needed to re-position the pencil. I like the way a pencil digs into the paper causing resistance. You can feel yourself creating the lines. I only put a couple of watercolor washes over the sketch since I wanted to focus my attention on helping the students.

I love sketching students as they create. Every artist has their own distinctive gesture as they draw. I also miss the days when people would responsibly wear masks. It meant I didn’t have to sketch noses or lips.

Crealde COVID Classroom

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At my Crealde Urban Sketching Class I usually have one lesson inside while the other 5 lessons are outside.The goal of the one indoor class is to teach the students how to draw the classroom using one point or two point perspective. My sketch is done in two point perspective.

Before class I remove most of the tables and leave just one table for each student. My goal is to remove any chance of students sitting too close together. In the foreground of my sketch is the 6 foot long staff I bring to every class. I literally carry it around like Moses as a visual reminder that I need to keep 6 feet from students. Each table is 6 feet wide so that is another visual reminder. I sat more than six feet away by the open classroom door.

Next to the six foot staff is a rolled up drawing on brown paper that is a three dimensional map of the room with an orthographic view from above and orthographic views of the walls. When taped into a cube shape it is a decent representation of the room. The basic lesson is that an artist maps out his view of everyday places and events.

The next series of six Urban Sketching classes starts January 30, 2022.